It is seen that patients are worried about participating in social life with the fear that the face will look swollen and bruised after facelift surgery. However, the use of endoscopic surgery techniques in the field of plastic surgery eliminates these problems. The recovery process of patients after treatment has accelerated considerably.

If you follow the instructions of Op.Dr. Serif Yavuz during the recovery process of facelift surgery, you will regain your healthy face without any problems. These are:

Hospitalization

Your doctor decides how long the patient will stay in the clinic after facelift surgery. This period typically lasts one day, allowing the doctor to promptly address any potential complications. After discharge, the patient can resume daily activities.

Postoperative fatigue of the patient

It is normal for the patient to feel fatigue due to both the weakness caused by anaesthesia and the effect of the medications given for treatment after surgery. However, this is a temporary condition, and there is no need to worry.

Eating and drinking immediately after surgery

Since the anaesthetic effect will continue after the operation, nothing should be consumed if possible. After the anaesthesia effect has completely worn off, you can eat and drink a small amount on the same day, but not hard foods. It will be appropriate to follow the advice given by your doctor.

Use of painkillers

You may experience moderate to high levels of pain after the operation. It is possible to control these pains with painkillers prescribed by your doctor.

Postoperative swelling and bruising

It is normal to have bruising or swelling after surgery, and these are temporary. If cold treatment is applied, bruising and oedema will disappear and the pain will decrease.

If you apply ice therapy to the cheeks for 5-10 minutes once an hour for two days, the healing of bruising, swelling, and redness will accelerate. In general, the swelling will go down and the bruises will disappear within 7-10 days, and they will disappear completely after 3 weeks.

Post-operative doctor control

After the surgery, you should have control examinations on the dates specified by your doctor in order to follow the healing process and to remove the stitches and bandages.

Keeping the head above the level of the heart

Keep your head above the level of your heart when you are at rest. An additional pillow under the head when lying down or sleeping is helpful. If possible, try to sleep on your back.

Stop smoking and drinking alcohol.

Smoking causes narrowing of the blood vessels, and narrowing of the blood vessels reduces the amount of oxygen distributed to the body, resulting in delayed healing of wounds. In addition, smoking and drinking weaken the immune system, causing infections to grow and spread more easily. For this reason, it would be appropriate to stop smoking and drinking alcohol for at least 15 days after surgery, and if this is not possible, it should be greatly reduced.

Avoid strenuous activities and sports for a while

Strenuous activities and strenuous sports should be avoided for about 1 month after surgery until recovery is complete. You should get a full night’s sleep to give your body a needed rest. Protect your face against impacts and avoid sudden and rapid movements. You should be careful not to break your stitches.

You should protect your face from heat and contact with heat

Environments such as saunas where the ambient temperature is high can cause the temperature in the face area to rise. This may delay the disappearance of swelling and edema.

Rest after surgery

Resting for a week to 10 days after the surgery and keeping yourself away from strenuous activities will speed up the healing process. Generally, it takes 1-2 months for the face to heal completely.

Stitch removal

Stitches are removed 7 days after surgery, but your doctor will decide whether to remove the stitches or not depending on the condition of the wounds and healing.

Bandages are removed

Depending on the difficulty of the operation, bandages are removed one week after the operation. Although bandages prevent the wounds from getting infected in the first place, staying on for a long time may delay healing.

Do not take a shower just after the surgery

You must follow your doctor’s instructions for showering. Generally, your doctor may allow you to shower with warm water after 2 days.

Drains are removed

Drains used to drain the fluid accumulated in the postoperative area are usually removed in a day or two.

Control your facial expressions

At least for a few days, you should avoid facial expressions such as laughing too much, talking too much, and exaggerated facial expressions that can cause the suture line to widen.

Do not chew too much and avoid foods that require chewing; if necessary, break the food into pieces before putting it in your mouth. For 1 month, it will be useful to reduce the amount of salt you consume.

Protect your face from the sun

Sun rays should be avoided as much as possible. If there is a possibility of sun exposure, high protection factor creams should be used.

Be careful when wearing clothes

Avoid wearing clothes over the head for at least 7 days to avoid as much contact with your face as possible.

Using pomade

Unless otherwise instructed by your doctor, using antibiotics and/or emollient pomades on the suture lines twice a day will prevent infection and accelerate the healing process.

Make-up

After the face dressing is removed, you can clean the skin gently and gently with soapy water, petroleum jelly, or skin care creams. To renew the make-up, you should make sure that at least two weeks have passed after the make-up.

You can ask any questions about face lift surgery by contacting Op.Dr. Serif Yavuz Aesthetic and Plastic surgery clinic, we are happy to serve you in our clinic in Istanbul, Turkey. Our primary goal is to get your smiling face after the operation.